Protests Dwindle, Police Arrest More Than 300: Hong Kong Update
Small groups of protesters remained on Hong Kong’s streets, after police fired pepper spray and arrested more than 300 people.
(Bloomberg) -- Small groups of protesters remained on Hong Kong’s streets Wednesday evening, after officers fired pepper spray projectiles and arrested more than 300 people in a return to unrest largely unseen since last year.
Hundreds gathered to demonstrate at lunchtime in the central shopping hub Causeway Bay to oppose China’s increasing control over the city, while protesters tried to block roads in the city’s Mong Kong district later in the afternoon. Student groups and trade unions had called for protests to oppose several pieces of China-backed legislation, including a bill that would criminalize disrespect toward the Chinese national anthem and Beijing’s plan to impose sweeping new national security measures.
Key Developments:
- Police arrest upwards of 300 demonstrators Wednesday
- Anthem bill gets second reading at legislature
- Officers fire pepper-spray projectiles
- Hundreds gather in Causeway Bay, Central
- Tycoon Li Ka-shing defends security law
Here’s the latest (all times local):
Arrests for unlawful assembly in Mong Kok (8:50 p.m.)
Police arrested more than 60 people in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district on unlawful assembly charges, the government said in a statement. Local television reports showed protesters blocking roads and starting small fires, which were quickly doused by the emergency services.
Police say hundreds arrested during day of protest (5:30 p.m.)
More than 300 people have been arrested for offenses including possession of weapons and participating in unauthorized and illegal assemblies, Hong Kong’s police force said in a Facebook post.
Dozens of protesters remain in Causeway Bay (5 p.m.)
Most demonstrators had left Hong Kong’s streets as evening fell. Some 100-200 protesters remained chanting in Causeway Bay, while small groups of protesters in the Mong Kok area of Kowloon, a hotbed for past rallies, were chased by police after marching toward them holding umbrellas.
Second reading of anthem bill (3 p.m.)
The second reading of the national anthem bill was underway in the legislature, after Legislative Council president Andrew Leung dismissed three pro-democracy lawmakers’ proposals to adjourn the meeting. He also ruled out any further adjournment proposals.
Taiwan Foreign Minister concerned over China’s actions in Hong Kong (2:20 p.m.)
Taiwan is concerned about China’s plans for national security law in Hong Kong, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an interview with Fox News. The Chinese government is taking advantage of the situation while everybody is busy dealing with coronavirus pandemic, Wu said.
If China imposes national security legislation in Hong Kong, “we don’t know what’s going to happen next. It might be Taiwan,” he said, adding that Taipei was concerned China might take military action against the democratic island.
Protesters on Hennessy Road disperse (1:55 p.m.)
Demonstrators who had occupied the central thoroughfare left after police arrived on the scene. Another group of riot officers was seen leaving police headquarters in the direction of the Wan Chai and Causeway Bay areas. Meanwhile, water barricades stood outside the Agricultural Bank of China’s Hong Kong headquarters in Central.
Police use pepper spray projectiles in Central (1:30 p.m.)
Officers fired pepper spray pellets to the ground to warn lunchtime protesters gathered on Pedder Street in Hong Kong’s Central district, local media reported, close to luxury malls and office buildings. Phalanxes of riot police kept watch on protesters there and outside Hysan Place, a busy shopping center in Causeway Bay.
‘There have been concerns today about whether to come out’ (1 p.m.)
Hundreds of people demonstrated around Hysan Place and others on Pedder Street, both popular with protesters last year. A 24-year-old woman who identified herself as Ms. Lee and works in the social work industry posted a black banner reading “Hong Kong Independence” at Hysan.
“Both the national anthem and the national security laws are white terror to Hong Kong citizens,” she said. “We have seen a lot of pro-democracy activists being arrested in China and I don’t want Hong Kong to turn into this in the future.”
“There have been concerns today about whether to come out protesting given the heavy police presence and what the movement can be achieved,” she added. “I think we are a bit lost over what’s the next action can be. But I am here to fight for the independence of Hong Kong, even though I know the chance is low, but I will try my very best till the end.”
Police make numerous arrests, discover petrol bombs (12:30 p.m.)
Hong Kong’s police force arrested at least 16 people across the city as of 11:30 a.m., according to a statement on Facebook.
The suspects were arrested for offenses including possession of weapons and dangerous driving, as protesters had called on people to disrupt traffic on arterial roads and key cross-harbor tunnels by deliberately driving slowly. Three vehicles were also towed away. Police said they also discovered petrol bombs and hammers as part of their morning searches and patrols.
Ip says Chinese security agencies to help with intelligence (11:45 a.m.)
Chinese national security organizations operating in Hong Kong will have to abide by city laws, but will likely help local law enforcement with intelligence gathering, said Regina Ip, a pro-establishment lawmaker who previously served as Hong Kong’s security secretary between 1998 and 2003.
“The Hong Kong administration will have to be consulted, and the people in Hong Kong will have to comply with Hong Kong laws,” said Ip, who is a current member of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s advisory Executive Council. “If such agencies are to be established, the main responsibilities would be to supplement the deficiencies of our Hong Kong police force, which is in the area of intelligence collection and analysis.”
Cheung says he hopes progress will be made on anthem bill (11:30 a.m.)
Ahead of a meeting of the city’s Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s No. 2 official, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, told reporters he hopes progress will be made on the national anthem bill today, saying the bill has nothing to do with freedoms or human rights.
Meanwhile, after being largely shut out from the Legco area by a police security cordon around the city’s legislature, protesters have taken to the Hysan Place shopping mall in Causeway Bay, shouting slogans including “Hong Kong independence, the only way out!”
Li Ka-shing defends security legislation (11:19 a.m.)
Billionaire Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s wealthiest tycoon, has defended China’s dramatic move to implement new national security legislation in Hong Kong.
“It is within each and every nation’s sovereign right to address its national security concerns,” he said in a statement. “We probably need not over-interpret it. Hopefully the proposed new law can allay concerns the central government has in Hong Kong and give rise to a positive outlook from there.”
He said there’s no need to overthink the legislation, and that the Hong Kong government must try and maintain trust in the “one country, two systems” principle under which China governs the former British colony.
Beijing ‘wants to start a precedent,’ Martin Lee says (9:25 a.m.)
The move to impose a national security law is part of a broader attempt to establish a legal precedent that would allow Beijing to force more laws on Hong Kong in the future, Martin Lee, a prominent pro-democracy figure who helped draft the city’s constitution, told Bloomberg Television in an interview. That could even include reviving the extradition bill that sparked protests last year, allowing Beijing to take people from Hong Kong and try them in mainland China’s Communist Party-controlled courts, he said.
“Beijing wants to legislate for Hong Kong and start a precedent,” he said. “The next thing they could legislate is the extradition bill. Once that is passed, they could come to our courts and present some documents, present some trumped up charges, and we’d be transferred to Beijing.” Lee added that he hoped the international community would take action.
“I call this the rape of Hong Kong. They are raping the Hong Kong system,” Lee said.
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